Shadi Fadda brings us today's headlines relating to Palestine and other news from around the internet.
Land Theft and Settlements
The Israeli military hands out demolishing orders to Palestinians in the Jordan Valley
Israeli troops handed out on Tuesday Palestinian farmers from deferent areas in the Jordan valley demolishing orders.
http://www.imemc.org/index.
Telling it like it is on Israel's settlements
I'm no great fan of Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, but you gotta admit his candor is refreshing. From last week, in the Jerusalem Post: Israel is willing to sit down for talks with the Palestinians, but with no preconditions or further gestures, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Thursday evening, stressing that the most recent overture was a tactical and temporary move.
http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/
'There's no freeze in Yitzhar'
Jewish residents of the northern West Bank vowed to continue construction Monday one day after a report was leaked to the press detailing special measures the Israel Defense Forces will take to monitor adherence to the 10-month settlement freeze enacted by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in late November.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment
Four more days of interrogation
December 21st, 2009-- Today, Jamal Juma's first court hearing was held at the military court at the Russian Compound in Jerusalem. The military judge rejected the interrogators' initial request to extend his detention period to 14 additional days. However, they did agree to a four day extension period to substantiate suspicions of "incitement".
http://stopthewall.org/
General strike in Um Al-Faham to protest Israeli demolition policy
The municipality of Um Al-Faham has called for a comprehensive, general strike in the city next Thursday to protest the Israeli policy of demolition of Palestinian homes.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Israeli repression wave targets activists
Israel's recent wave of repression led to arrest of Jamal Juma', coordinator of Stop the Wall Campaign.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Petition: Support the Gaza Freedom March, End the Blockade on Gaza
http://www.petitiononline.com/
Young, Jewish, and Going to Gaza: Why I’m Joining the Gaza Freedom March
When I tell people I leave for Cairo, Egypt, to join up with Palestine solidarity activists on our way to the Gaza Strip on December 25th, they exclaim, “you’re leaving on Christmas?!” “Yes,” I say. “Christmas doesn’t mean much to me. I’m Jewish.” And after I identify as Jewish, some of them have befuddled looks on their faces. “Aren’t Jews supposed to support Israel?” I can see some of them thinking that in their heads.
http://www.indypendent.org/
Gaza Freedom March, "Will You Call the Egyptian Government for the Gaza Freedom March?"
Using the pretext of escalating tensions on the Gaza-Egypt border, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry informed us yesterday that the Rafah border will be closed over the coming weeks, into January. . . . Although we consider this as a setback, it is something we've encountered-and overcome -- before. No delegation, large or small, that entered Gaza over the past 12 months has ever received a final OK before arriving at the Rafah border. . . . Egyptian embassies and missions all over the world must hear from our supporters (by phone, fax, and email) over the coming crucial days, with a clear message: Let the international delegation enter Gaza and let the Gaza Freedom March proceed.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.
More Malaysians Join "Viva Palestina Convoy" To Gaza
DAMASCUS, Dec 22 (Bernama) -- Two more members of the Malaysian Perdana Global Peace Organisation, PGPO and four Bernama TV crew joined the 'Viva Palestina Convoy' on Tuesday as it continues its 2,000-mile journey to Gaza to distribute humanitarian aid.
http://www.bernama.com/
Omar Barghouti: BDS as response to repression of Palestinian nonviolence
Many of you have already heard of the most recent arrest by Israel of a leader of Palestinian nonviolent resistance to occupation and apartheid. Our allies at Stop the Wall have information and action steps that you can take to demand the release of Jamal Juma', who joins Mohammad Othman and Abdallah Abu Rahmeh in the current list of Palestinian nonviolent resisters being held in administrative detention, with no charges and no trial.
http://endtheoccupationblog.
Latest BDS victory is but opening skirmish of a whole new campaign– English activist promises, Philip Weiss
BDS news: An English collegiate choir has had an invitation to sing in the Occupied Territories rescinded by the Anglican bishop because it is singing in Israel.
http://mondoweiss.net/2009/12/
London joins International Day of Action Against Ahava
The activists came from a range of organisations that includes the International Solidarity Movement, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Jews for the Boycott of Israeli Goods and others. During the picket, numerous shoppers and passers by chatted with protesters, took leaflets and expressed their support and solidarity with the aims of the protest.
http://palsolidarity.org/2009/
This isn't what accountability looks like
Last week we asked an important question: "What does accountability for human rights abuses and violations of international law look like?"
http://endtheoccupationblog.
Violence and Aggression/Detainees
Settlers attack schoolchildren in al-Bweireh neighborhood
Ryan Shiffer - CPT HEBRON - Chased by stone throwing settlers with a dog, seven-year-old Amar Zatari tripped and fell on his face - one incident in years of harassment. Afraid to walk home by himself, the boy waits an hour-and-a-half each day until his brother’s classes are dismissed.
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_
Settlers Attack A Palestinian House in the Occupied Jerusalem
December 22, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - Extremist settlers attacked the house of the AL-Fityan family in Sheikh Jarrah in the occupied Jerusalem; they threw stones at the house, which led to the exit of the people from Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood to address the onslaught of the settlers.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/
Israeli Soldier Chased a Kindergarten Girl
20 December 2009, by: Johann Funk, she is the vision of innocence, peering up into the dull eyes of a soldier towering over her. She can only be four or five years old. Black slacks with a green striped short skirt fanning out beneath her short black jacket indicate that she is a kindergarten student. She strains to hand the backpack, which is half her length, up to the soldier who orders her to stop. He systematically opens every zipper and plunges his hands into each pocket before handing the backpack back. It slumps to the ground.
http://palestinethinktank.com/
The Israeli military kidnaps nine civilians from the West Bank
Israeli troops kidnapped on Tuesday nine Palestinian civilians during pre dawn invasions targeting a number of West Bank communities.
http://www.imemc.org/index.
Ministry: 110 Palestinians serving over 20 years in Israeli jails
Gaza – Ma’an – There are now over 110 Palestinians in Israeli jails who have served over 20 years, the de facto government Ministry of Prisoners Affairs announced Monday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Report: Female Palestinian detainees suffer neglect
Salfit – Ma’an – Palestinian women serving time in Israel's prisons are suffering from medical neglect, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a report released Monday. The head of the prisoners’ society, Qadura Faris, said in a statement that lawyers and workers with the prison discovered 17 female detainees at Israel's Ash-Sharon and Ad-Damon prison facilities were being kept in sub-standard consitions and that all had been denied medical treatment for persisting conditions.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
A year on, Gaza human shields speak out in war crimes probe
GAZA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- After Israel's massive offensive against the Gaza Strip in January this year, Palestinian Samir al-Attar was interrogated by Israeli authorities as a terrorist. In less than a year, the 38-year-old Gaza resident faced interrogation again, but this time as a victim. He was used by Israeli forces as a human shield during the war.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/
Humanitarian Issues/Siege
Dameer: Birth defects increased in Gaza due to Israel’s use of chemical weapons
In a report, the association affirmed that the health and environmental conditions in Gaza is getting worse day after days as a result of the use of internationally-banned weapons during the three-week war. It warned that the use of chemical weapons in the densely-populated areas would cause a long-lasting tragedy and plague the future of coming generations, adding the health of one and a half million Palestinians in the Strip is still threatened because of the contamination of water, soil and air.
http://www.unobserver.com/
Hamas authorities ban farming in Gaza lands infected by bombing
GAZA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip decided on Monday to prevent farmers from planting lands that hit by Israeli missiles and bombs during last winter military offensive. The ministry of agriculture in the deposed Hamas government also banned people from pulling water from wells in those lands or grazing for fear that some of the projectiles had contained "radiant, cancer-causing and poisonous materials." "This makes the targeted places infected and pose a threat to the human and animals," the ministry said in a statement sent to the media.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/
Israel's doctors must allay torture fears | Antony Lerman
One of the disturbing features of the persistent use of torture by many countries in conflict situations around the world is the role some doctors play in condoning it. The World Medical Association (WMA), which "promot[es] the highest possible standards of medical ethics, [and] provides ethical guidance to physicians", is crystal clear on this practice. Its 1975 Tokyo declaration states unequivocally that "physicians shall not countenance, condone or participate in the practice of torture or other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading procedures, and in all situations, including armed conflict and civil conflict". True to its principles, in October, in response to reports about the possible collusion of doctors in the abuse of prisoners in Iran, the WMA passed a unanimous motion at its annual meeting in Delhi urging national medical associations to speak out in support of the rights of patients and doctors there. But is the WMA being selective in its condemnations?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Galloway slams Arabs for not organizing aid convoys to Gaza
British lawmaker George Galloway, who is leading an aid convoy to the besieged Gaza Strip, expressed his dismay at the absence of the Arab role in organizing aid convoys to Gaza.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Help end Gaza blockade, aid groups urge EU
The EU should commit itself to ending the blockade of the Gaza Strip and put its relations with Israel on hold pending tangible progress, 16 humanitarian and human rights organisations say today in a report marking the first anniversary of the war.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Lift the Gaza blockade | Nick Clegg
The suffering is shocking. And nobody will benefit from the radicalism that confinement engenders. On 27 December last year, Israel launched Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, an overwhelming exercise of military force aimed at silencing the Hamas rockets which had terrorised Israeli towns and villages. The immediate effects of the invasion are well known: 1,400 Palestinians dead, mostly civilians, with many more wounded or displaced; 10 Israeli soldiers and three civilians killed, dozens more injured; and thousands of families in southern Israel forced to flee to other parts of the country. The rocketfire from Gaza into Israel has slowed but has not entirely ceased. Hamas is still in power.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Arabs in the Service of Israel
Egypt defends Gaza wall
Foreign minister says barrier along Gaza Strip will strengthen country's security.
http://english.aljazeera.net//
Mishaal: The building of a steel wall is a new war on Gaza
Khaled Mishaal, the head of Hamas’s political bureau, stated Monday that the building of the steel wall on the Palestinian-Egyptian borders is a new war against Gaza people and their resistance.
http://www.palestine-info.co.
Egyptian Officials Say They Will Not Allow Gaza Freedom March To Cross Border
The 1,360 peace activists from around the world currently on their way to Egypt will find the border to the Gaza Strip closed to them, say Egyptian officials.
http://www.imemc.org/index.
Palestinians In Gaza Protest Egypt’s Border Wall
Thousands of Palestinians protested on Monday at the Salah Ed Deen Gate area, near the border with Egypt, against the Iron Wall Egypt is installing with American support and supervision along its border with Gaza.
http://www.imemc.org/index.
Human Rights/Discrimination/
Israel 'outsourcing' the occupation
Concern is growing among Palestinians in the occupied West Bank as Israel steps up its use of private security contractors to patrol Palestinian territories. The private firms are being used to help patrol checkpoints and protect illegal settlements in what has become a multi-billion dollar business for Israeli security companies. But as Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston reports, some Palestinians are concerned that the private companies are using a different set of rules than the army, and this has raised new legal issues.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
MK Tibi: Israel is democratic for Jews, but Jewish for Arabs
MK Ahmed Tibi condemned the bills, which passed a preliminary vote a few weeks ago, claiming they would only allow systemic racism to take hold. "This law is like pissing in mid-air," said Tibi. "Racism is starting to be legislated in the statute book. There is an influx of racist law proposals; you aren’t even ashamed of yourselves."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
MK Tibi: Arabs born here, some Jews fascists
Arab MK calls bill allowing communities to weed out applicants for residency racist, slams its initiators.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
TA asylum-seekers forced to queue in cold and rain
Migrant workers and African asylum-seekers are complaining about poor treatment at the Ministry of Interior offices in Tel Aviv. Foreign nationals who are required to come to the offices regularly for procedural purposes have nowhere to wait for service and are forced to stand in the street for long hours without basic conveniences like benches or washrooms.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/
Immigration cops break into Tel Aviv church to nab illegal migrants
Immigration officers from the Oz task force broke into a church in South Tel Aviv on Monday and arrested illegal migrants, causing significant damage and breaking the ceiling. According to the unit's protocols, the officers are not permitted to enter into places of worship, such as churches.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Political Developments
Israeli response: Deport 'heavy prisoners'
Response to prisoner exchange deal with Hamas transferred to German mediator includes list of 'heavy prisoners' Israel demands are expelled to Gaza or abroad.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Israel hands Shalit deal response to mediator
Israel has given a German mediator its response to Hamas demands involving the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the return of captive Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, a source close to the negotiations said on Monday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Israel deadlock over prisoner swap
Marathon meeting of security cabinet ends without agreement on Shalit swap deal.
http://english.aljazeera.net/
Mashaal: All female prisoners to be released in swap
Hamas leader says detainees slated for release in Shalit deal include notorious females.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Gideon Levy / Gilad Shalit must be freed at any cost
It is not difficult to understand the agonizing decision facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet ministers. It would be very hard to accept a negative decision on their part. Gilad Shalit must be freed at any cost, all the more so because the actual cost is lower than the one bandied about by those who oppose the release.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Analysis / Threats, pressures and concessions on way to Shalit deal
The "forum of seven" ministers met in Jerusalem Monday evening for another session, the fifth in less than two days, to prepare for a decision on a prisoner trade to bring home kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is inclined to support the agreement, though with several conditions. Netanyahu has the support of most senior defense officials.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/
Amid Gaza calm, Israel and Hamas prepare for battle (AFP)
AFP - A year after Israel's war in the Gaza Strip, an unprecedented calm has held around the Hamas-run enclave, but both sides are busily preparing for the inevitable next round, analysts say.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Other News
OPT: Olive harvest low but more peaceful than last year
HAWARA/TEL AVIV Tuesday, December 22, 2009 (IRIN) - Three hundred olive trees in Shaer's plot near the village of Jit in the West Bank's Nablus region are almost bare: There will be hardly any olives for his family this year, let alone any for sale.
http://www.irinnews.org/
Latin Patriarch says Holy Land peace efforts a failure (AFP)
AFP - Efforts to bring peace to the Holy Land have failed, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem said on Tuesday in a sombre Christmas message.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Sheikh Salah banned from Jerusalem
IDF issues order against Islamic Movement leader, who was indicted for participating in riots at Temple Mount.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
PA takes diplomats on Bethlehem 'occupation tour'
Bethlehem – Ma'an – A delegation of 15 foreign diplomats and ambassadors toured the Bethlehem area on Tuesday ahead of Christmas. Rafiq Al-Husseini, head of Palestinian president’s office, accompanied the visitors, and explained that the visit was meant as a check-up on the situation in Bethlehem in light of the "abusive practices" of Israel including construction of the separation wall, settlement expansion, and military checkpoints.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/
Carter apologizes for 'stigmatizing Israel'
Former US president offers US Jewish community heartfelt apology for any contribution he may have had to Jewish nation's negative image.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Jimmy Carter: do you know now why he can never be forgiven or supported?, As`ad Abukhalil
For me, I never ever considered what Jimmy Carter says worthy of support. This is a man who considered his biggest inspiration of life to be Anwar Sadat. A man who was responsible for brokering the Camp David accords, and for bribing Egypt to sign a peace treaty with Israel. A man who spoke about human rights as president, while he was toasting pro-US dictators who passed by his White House. And now this: "Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter has apologized to the American Jewish community for 'stigmatizing Israel' and asked for forgiveness for his actions, the JTA reported on Monday. "We must recognize Israel's achievements under difficult circumstances, even as we strive in a positive way to help Israel continue to improve its relations with its Arab populations, but we must not permit criticisms for improvement to stigmatize Israel," Carter wrote in a letter to the JTA."
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/
Attempted rape suspect undergoes psychiatric evaluation
After initial evaluation determined that Erez Efrati, captain in IDF chief of staff's bodyguard force suspected of assault, attempted rape, is not psychotic, second evaluation ordered by court commences.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Chutzpah: Lieberman lashes out at illegal Arab construction
Foreign minister says illegal building in Galilee, Negev aimed at dividing Israel, conquering land.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Life in Israel
"The teenager, S., was beaten by police after being arrested last month, his family alleges. He was then brutally gang-raped repeatedly by juvenile inmates at a maximum security prison facility near Haifa, according to an indictment filed by Haifa state prosecutors last week against three suspects. The charge sheet details how the youths allegedly used a copper wire to pierce S.'s ear to mark him as their "slave."
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/
Analysis/Op-ed/Human Interest
The separation wall | Austen Ivereigh
Within spitting distance of the very spot Jesus Christ was born is one of the world's great monstrosities, "a symbol of everything wrong with the human heart" as the Archbishop of Canterbury described it when he saw it for himself. And you have to see for yourself the Israeli separation wall to understand it: I don't just mean the structure itself – 30 feet high, bristling with watchtowers and formed of grey concrete slabs – but where it is built, deep into the town itself, far into the West Bank, severing Bethlehem from Jerusalem and ensuring the relentless expansion eastwards of Jewish-only settlements built on land seized from Palestinian farmers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Kawther Salam – Is Israel a State or An Organ Harvesting Mafia?
After Israel conceded to committing the crime of theft of human organs in a program which was aired on Israeli TV Channel 2, will the Abu Kabir butchery, the so-called “Autopsy Institute of Forensic Medicine” in Israel, be now named a strategic base for the harvesting of human beings? how does the world look at the consequences of the organized Israeli organ theft practiced at Abu Kabir hospital? Which are the legal procedures that can be taken against the perpetrators, often IDF officers?
http://palestinethinktank.com/
Finkelstein: Livni 'proud' of Gaza 'war crimes'
Prominent Jewish-American professor says Gaza rockets were 'symbolic resistance' to Israeli siege.
http://www.middle-east-online.
Palestine's Gift of Christmas
I am no longer religious, however, the season and the way the people I live among express it, prompt these reflections. A few days ago, I attended a Christmas music choral concert in which my young daughter performed. I think a sense of peace would easily be transmitted by the song "Silent Night" even if all intelligible words were stripped from it, so it was a pure "vocalise" devoid of religious ideas. Music has that power, and that magic. Despite the many shortcomings of Christianity, to it's credit it has spurred the writing of much good music. Listening to Mozart's "Jubilate Deo," I realized it might be better to hear all the familiar Christmas songs in Latin, because then our English (or French, German, or Spanish) language minds would, in most cases, be freed of textual and ideological distraction.
http://www.counterpunch.com/
Guest Post: A Letter From A Palestinian Muslim to Santa
This might be unusual request coming from someone who is a Muslim, but the fact I have few things on my mind. Could you please swing by Palestine, and in particular to a place called Gaza this year. It is not too far from Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, who is ‘the reason for the season’. There are 1.5 million people who are starving there in Gaza and have been under siege from air, sea, and ground for almost three years. You may ask what is the reason for that? Those people wanted to be free and independent just like us here in America.
http://www.kabobfest.com/2009/
Two Shiite worshippers gunned down in Iraq (AFP)
AFP - Two Shiite worshippers were gunned down on Tuesday close to the town of Baquba while leaving a mosque after carrying out rituals as part of the Shiite religious commemoration of Ashura, police said.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Monday: 11 Iraqis Killed, 20 Wounded
At least 11 Iraqis were killed and 20 were wounded across Iraq. A bomber struck a heavy blow to the Tal Afar city council, while several small bombings kept Baghdad on edge. In the south, Shi’ite pilgrims are making their way to the holy city of Karbala for Ashura observances.
http://original.antiwar.com/
Iran says Iraq border incident a "misunderstanding" (Reuters)
Reuters - Iran on Tuesday described a border incident with Iraq, which caused oil prices to rise late last week, as a "misunderstanding" and called for experts from both countries to look into border demarcation issues.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/
Lebanon
Nasrallah defends right to resistance
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Lebanese lawmakers continue to disregard the threat posed by Israel when they criticize Hezbollah's armed resistance, said the Hezbollah secretary-general. Lebanese lawmakers earlier this month adopted a national policy platform that allows Hezbollah to maintain an armed resistance to Israel in defiance of U.N. resolutions. Some Lebanese lawmakers said security should be in the hands of the national army, while supporters claim Hezbollah has the right to its weapons so long as the threat from Israel persists.
http://news.google.com/news/
Sayyed Nasrallah to Israel: All Your Psychological Wars Failed
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah said on Monday that Lebanon will be able to confront any psychological war launched by the Israeli enemy in the future just like it did in July 2006. Speaking through a giant screen while commemorating the fifth night of Muharram, Sayyed Nasrallah addressed the Israelis telling them that they have tried all forms of psychological wars in the past but failed. "With every psychological war, we became even more courageous and firm. In any upcoming war, we will be the same or even better," his eminence declared.
http://almanar.com.lb/
Murr Confirms from South Lebanon's Right in Resistance
22/12/2009 Lebanon's Defense Minister Elias Murr and Lebanese Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji visited on Tuesday the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) located in Naqoura, south Lebanon.
UNIFIL Commander Maj. Gen. Claudio Graziano welcomed Minister Murr to UNIFIL and expressed appreciation for his initiative to visit the Mission.
http://almanar.com.lb/
Other Arab News
Sorcery Charges On The Rise In Saudi Arabia
The Lebanese host of a popular TV show who gave callers advice and sometimes predicted the future was sentenced to death by a court in Saudi Arabia in November for sorcery. Human rights groups say these cases are on the rise in the strictly religious country and birthplace of Islam.
http://www.npr.org/templates/
Saudi attack on Yemen kills 54 people
Yemeni Shi'ite Muslim rebels said Saudi air attacks on northern Yemen killed 54 people on Sunday, many of them women and children.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Images of the dead children killed by the U.S. bombs in Yemen
Warning - Pictures reflect the reality of attacks on Yemen.
http://www.roadstoiraq.com/
Mullen praises Yemen air strikes, raises concern over Iran
The top US military officer Admiral Michael Mullen on Sunday praised US military strikes against a suspected Al-Qaeda cell in Yemen.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/
US aided' deadly Yemen raids
Video shows women and children killed in attacks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood: widening split between young and old
Egypt's Islamic opposition to autocratic President Hosni Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood, faces a split along generational lines as older conservatives' influence is rising.
http://www.csmonitor.com/
www.TheHeadlines.org
0 Have Your Say!:
Post a Comment